| Summary: | Surfactants and/or salts at low concentrations are inherently relevant to gas hydrate formation in nature and industry. However, the combined effects of surfactants and salts at low concentrations on gas hydrate formation are poorly understood. Here, we aim to fill this gap of knowledge by examining the effects of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and sodium iodide (NaI) at millimolar concentrations on methane hydrate formation. We show that adding NaI to dilute SDS solutions reduces the induction time significantly, promoting gas hydrate nucleation. Meanwhile, adding NaI adversely reduces the growth of methane hydrate. Fundamental studies based on sum frequency generation spectroscopy indicate an electrostatically aligned water layer at the gas–SDS solution interface caused by the charged interface as a result of surface adsorption of dodecyl sulfate anions. This aligned interfacial water layer hinders the nucleation of gas hydrate at the gas–SDS solution interface. Added NaI diminishes the alignment of interfacial water, thereby favoring the nucleation of the gas hydrate. Even though, the adverse (inhibiting) effect of added NaI on the methane hydrate growth remains a puzzling observation that requires further investigations. This study sheds more light on gas hydrate formation in surfactant- and salt-containing systems that are important to many phenomena in nature and applications in the industry.
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